Eagles Open Southern Conference Play At Home Against Furman
9/28/2010 6:52:00 PM | Men's Soccer
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Men's Soccer team opens Southern Conference play against Furman on Wednesday, September 29 at Eagle Field at 2 p.m. in the first conference match for both teams.
The Eagles enter the contest with a 3-2-1 record after a 4-0 victory over Winthrop at home on Sunday, Sept. 19. Jon Cox (Alpharetta, Ga.) led the offensive attack with a pair of goals. Ethan LaPan (Martinez, Ga.) scored his second goal of the season, and Luigi Clendening (Augusta, Ga.) danced through the defense for his first goal.
Austin Steele (Kennesaw, Ga.) leads a defense that didn't allow a single shot on goal against Winthrop. The senior is also a threat offensively with a pair of goals on the season.
Georgia Southern ranks first in the SoCon in goals per game (2.00) and assists per game (1.83). Goalkeeper Ryan Platt (Preston, England) is third in the conference with 30 saves in five games. Neal Bates (Watkinsville, Ga.) earned the start against Winthrop, but the defense didn't allow a shot on goal.
Furman enters the match with a 4-3-1 record after a scoreless draw against USC Upstate in its last contest. Fabien Vorbe leads the Paladins with three goals, while Michael Channel and Michael Gandier have each scored twice. Alec Kann has made 21 saves while allowing nine goals in eight games in goal. Marcos Valko has played 45 minutes, recording one save and allowing a goal.
The Eagles and Paladins have faced each other 23 times, with Furman holding an 18-3-2 advantage in the all-time series. Georgia Southern has earned two positive results in the past five matchups, beating Furman 1-0 in the 2006 Southern Conference semifinals after the two teams played to a scoreless draw during the regular season.
Wednesday's match against Furman is sponsored by the Georgia Southern Army ROTC Battalion. The first 50 fans will receive a free promotional item. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Fans can view live streaming and live stats at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com, and live score updates at twitter.com/gsscores.
